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Political Upset in The Netherlands: Voters Turn to Firebrand Leader
In an election upset without precedent, Dutch voters on Wednesday chastised the ruling coalition of longtime prime minister Mark Rutte and handed the levers of power to political provocateur Geert Wilders whose Party for Freedom (PVV) unexpectedly secured 37 seats
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A Bipolar World? Searching in Vain for a Dollar Alternative
The seizure of Russia’s dollar reserves, part of the first wave of sanctions decreed in response to Moscow’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine, has a growing legion of pundits wondering if the time has come to look for a new
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A Perfect Storm Perfected: EU Battles String of Calamities
It’s about the only thing missing from a world in turmoil: France going haywire and off the rails. The solid showing of Marine Le Pen at last Sunday’s polls gives plenty of cause for concern. More moderate in her policy
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Fortress Russia on Shaky Ground: EU Finds Its Footing and Unleashes Its Economic Might
The rouble took a pounding of note, losing almost a third of its value as soon as forex markets opened Monday morning. Equity trading was suspended whilst Russian financial authorities pondered the extent of the sanctions imposed over the weekend.
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Between a Rock and a Hard Place: UK Discovers the Hard Limits of Its ‘Newfound’ Sovereignty
It is not a good time to be a supporter of Brexit. If spin were a tradeable commodity, all would be exceptionally well in the realm. Alas, it is not. The attempt by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to supplant essential
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EU Cements Union and Recovery Package
Union leaders have agreed on a landmark €750 billion post-corona EU recovery package that authorises the European Commission to issue bonds for the first time ever. Hailed as a ‘historic day’ for Europe by President Emmanuel Macron of France, the
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EU Prime Ministers Beat a Path to The Hague
This month, The Hague has become the destiny of choice for EU prime ministers and presidents embarking on a pilgrimage to placate, woo, mollify or pay homage to Saint Mark – the self-anointed patron of the frugal. In his impressively
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Europe: Fig Leaves to Save Spain and Italy
Looking to score without breaking a sweat, European politicians of almost every ideological persuasion often turn on ‘Brussels’, assigning blame to the union for every conceivable domestic ill and castigating it for their own failings. Unable to put up a
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Ana Palacio: Europe on a Geopolitical Fault Line
Two months ago, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his fear that a “Great Fracture” could split the international order into two “separate and competing worlds,” one dominated by the United States
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Quantitative Easing: Another Shot for the Caffeine Junkie
Early in March, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced its intention to flood the market with about €1.1 trillion in quantitative easing (QE) monies over the course of 18 months by buying debt instruments – mostly government bonds – on
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